Bridgwater woman uncovers startling First World War picture (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Bridgwater woman uncovers startling First World War picture

4:15pm Friday 29th August 2008

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A BRIDGWATER woman uncovered a startling find while having work done to her home.

Dawn DeFazio was having the panelling replaced in the living room of her house in Polden Street when an old photo of a First World War soldier appeared behind one of the boards.

Alongside the astonishing discovery was a piece of sporting memorabilia, a World Cup 1970 annual from a tabloid newspaper with Bobby Moore on the front.

Dawn said: “It was a really strange feeling finding the picture behind one of the boards. It is something you would not expect to see.

“I am not sure what to do with the picture but it would be interesting to find out who it is.”

Research by Col Mike Motum, secretary of the Rifles Office in Taunton, has established that the young man in the photo was from the Dorset Regiment during the First World War though his identity remains a mystery.

According to the deeds on the Polden Street house, it was owned by George Charles in 1901 and information provided by the Census shows he lived there with his wife Louisa and children Frank, Leonard and Louie.

Frank was aged 16 and Leonard aged 10 in 1901, which suggests the man in the picture might have been either of Charles' sons.

The curator of the Regimental Museum in Dorset, Col Charles Cooper, said: “It is absolutely impossible to find out his identity using the records we have due to the grand scale of the First World War. He was definitely from the Dorset Regiment and it would be interesting to uncover his identity.”

If you have any information regarding the soldier in the picture, the Mercury would like to hear from you. Email us at newsdesk@bridgwatermercury.co.uk

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